|
|
Ten Percent Of Molly Snyder
Playwright: Richard Strand
by Mary Shen Barnidge 2001-06-13
|
|
This article shared 1848 times since Wed Jun 13, 2001
|
|
As long as there have been bureaucrats—and when in recorded history have there not?—there have been comedies premised on hapless citizens ensnared in labyrinths of officials concerned only with their own petty corner of The System. In Ten Percent Of Molly Snyder, the title character is a young artist seeking to correct a minor error on her driver's license. The clerk at the Department of Motor Vehicles advises her to leave well enough alone, but though Snyder's paintings reflect a mystical sensibility, her insistence on precision in real life is uncompromising.
Her faith in an orderly universe is undiminished even when her complaint leads inadvertently to a death certificate issued in her name—but then comes the Tribune's obituary, the subsequent seizure of her property, the boom in sales of her "last" works ( profiting not her, but her agent-;hence the play's title ) , and the realization that Molly Snyder might, indeed, be better off dead.
If this were a European period farce—by, let's say, Chekhov—it would conclude in this frustrated waif's suicide, following which business would continue as before. And if this were a modern American situation-comedy, it would finish with the complacent public servants undergoing a change of heart after being outsmarted or outgunned by the plucky heroine. But Chicago playwright Richard Strand tracks his Everywoman's descent into existential anonymity—which, to be sure, includes murder and suicide, but doesn't stop there—to its very end, a denouement that could as easily reflect the folly of Sweating The Small Stuff as capitulation to a faceless machine-like society.
That facelessness is rendered literally through the conceit of a single actor—in this production, the protean Troy West—playing all the representatives of the status quo, their offices distinguishable only by the window view, the name given to the wall color and the occupant's self-styled demographic ( at one point, he claims to be Asian, at another, Black, and at a third, female ) . Amy Warren conveys the struggle of the lone rebel besieged by smug deception. And director Edward Sobel paces what could have emerged as self-pitying propaganda at a crisp sprint to make the most of Strand's double-edged satire, assisted by Lindsay Jones' hilarious sound design. "Personality," that Lloyd Price R&B classic, will never sound the same again.
|
|
|
|
This article shared 1848 times since Wed Jun 13, 2001
|
ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE |
---|
|
| | Jamie Barton brings nuances of identity to her Lyric Opera 'Aida' performance 2024-03-18 - Chicago's Lyric Opera is currently featuring a production of Giuseppe Verdi's Aida starring Michelle Bradley as Aida, Jamie Barton as Amneris and Russell Thomas as Radamès. The opera runs through April 7, 2024, with Francesca Zambello ...
|
| | Queer Eye's Jai Rodriguez is set to slay at The Big Gay Cabaret 2024-03-05 - Out and proud performer Jai Rodriguez is set to play at The Big Gay Cabaret this March for three days. Presented by RuPaul Drag Racer Ginger Minj, this monthly series highlights the wide world of cabaret ...
|
| | THEATER 'R & J' puts a female, queer spin on Shakespeare 2024-03-05 - Romeo and Juliet is the theatrical gift that keeps on giving. It's been reworked for the masses numerous times, whether in direct adaptations or musicals such as West Side Story. Shakespeare's plotline points have even inspired ...
|
| | Center on Halsted hosts 6th Annual Intergenerational Talent Show 2024-03-03 - On the evening of Feb. 29, Center on Halsted held its 6th Annual Intergenerational Talent Show in front of a packed audience at the Hoover-Leppen Theater. The event brought together participants of the Center's youth and senior ...
|
| | THEATER When growth is paramount: Jim Corti helps fuel Aurora theater expansion 2024-03-01 - Out actor/director/choreographer Jim Corti made his Broadway debut in 1974, in the ensemble of Leonard Bernstein's musical Candide. Director Harold Prince's acclaimed Tony Award-winning revival is often cited as a ...
|
| | Theater Review: Billy Elliot, The Musical 2024-02-19 - Book and Lyrics: Lee Hall; Music: Elton John. At: Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora Tickets: 630-896-6666 or Paramountaurora.com; $28-$79. Runs through March 24 Billy Elliot: The Musical may nearly be two decades old, but ...
|
| | 'West Side Story' gets a sex-positive spin with new burlesque show 2024-02-19 - In partial observance of National Condom Day, which was Feb. 14, Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) presented A West Side Story Burlesque at the Harris Theater for two hour-long performances on Feb. 17. The show, ...
|
| | Second Glance Productions hosts LGBTQupid Soiree 2024-02-16 - In celebration of Valentine's Day, Chicago based film and media production company Second Glance hosted The LBGTQupid Soiree. The event, which was focused on spinning attitudes on this particular day, was presented at The iO ...
|
| | Carisa Hendrix mesmerizes as Lucy Darling in Teatro ZinZanni 2024-02-12 - Since 2019, Teatro ZinZanni has gathered together amazing performers from all over the world to create an experience in Chicago under the Spiegeltent in the Cambria Hotel building, 32 W. Randolph St. Over the years, ticket ...
|
| | THEATER Dot-Marie Jones talks Goodman production, 'Glee,' 'Bros' 2024-02-12 - Running through Feb. 18 at the the Goodman Theatre, the production Highway Patrol works with a script conceived entirely from Emmy-winning actor Dana Delany's (TV's China Beach) digital archive of hundreds of tweets and direct messages ...
|
| | Dr. Lady J explains how opera can be a drag 2024-02-10 - On Feb. 8, Center on Halsted, in partnership with Lyric Opera of Chicago, presented a lecture by historian, drag activist, podcaster and curator Dr. Lady J. The event, titled "Castrated Superstars, Cross Dressed Divas, and Queer ...
|
| | SHOWBIZ Raven-Symone, women's sports, Wayne Brady, Jinkx Monsoon, British Vogue 2024-02-09 - In celebration of Black History Month, the LA LGBT Center announced that lesbian entertainer Raven-Symone will be presented with the Center's Bayard Rustin Award at its new event, Highly Favored, per a press release. She joins ...
|
| | Chicago-based production company to host all-inclusive, LGBTQ-focused Valentine's Day event 2024-02-07 --From a press release - CHICAGO — Second Glance Productions will host the LGBTQupid Soiree this Valentines Day, Wednesday, February 14, 2024. The event will be held at the iO Theater, 1501 N. Kingsbury St., from 6 pm to 11 pm ...
|
| | THEATER Nostalgic 'Sunsets' still offers a timely reflection of LGBTQ+ community 2024-02-07 - Nostalgia reigned on a variety of scales this past weekend in Chicago. During her Celebration tour, at a majestically packed United Center, Madonna acknowledged the last 40 years of her career, highlighting her '80s interactions with ...
|
| | The Jeff Awards announces the 50th-anniversary non-Equity theater nominations 2024-02-06 --From a press release - (Feb. 6, 2024 - Chicago) — Celebrating its 50th anniversary awarding recognition for Non-Equity theater, the Joseph Jefferson Awards announces its nominations for theater excellence among Non-Equity theater during the ...
| |
|
|